Automatic electric weight-measuring device for movable carriers



H. .I. MURRAY.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC WEIGHT MEASURING DEVICE FOR MOVABLE CARRIERS.

' APPLICATION FILED OCT. II, I918- I 1,407,078, Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

IIIIIIII 7 9 6 76 Fig.5.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD J. MURRAY, 01! BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.-

.AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC WEIGHT-MEASURING DEVICE FOR MOVABLE CARRIERS.

Specification-of Letters Patent. 1 Pate t d F b. 21, 1922 Application filed October 11, 1918. Serial No. 257,806.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD J. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brookl n, in the county of New York and State of b ew York, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Automatic Electric Weighteasuring Devices for Movable Carriers, of which the following is a s ecification.

y invention relates in general to means for weighing and specifically relates to electrical means for weighing mass when placed on movable carriers.

, One of the objects of my invention is to provide-a simple form of electric weighing device, which when placed between the spring supported and rigid members of a,

carrier, will cause an electric meter to indicate, record, add or su-bstract the weight of mass on said spring supported body independent of any variation in voltage in the source of electric current actuating the meter.

In one embodiment of my invention, I broadly attain the indication of the weight of this carried mass b causing the weight to effect the resistance in one of the four legs of a so-called Wheatstone bridge having the other three legs of equal resistance. Thus by varying the resistance of this said fourth leg I thereby vary the electric current in the so-called galvanometer circuit of the said Wheatstone bridge and accordingly afiect an electric meter placed in this said galvanometer circuit, said meter measuring and calibrated in units of weight.

Among the other objects of the invention is to provide a device of the class described in which the system can be brought to zero under any given load condition, in which the meter is sensitive to variations in load from any present load and in which variations in loads not desired to efiect the reading of the meter are ineffective.

The invention is susceptible of numerous physical embodiments, only one of which is set forth, but it is understood that the showings in the drawing are largely diagrammatic, merely being sufficient in detail to show an application of the invention.

While the invention is obviously capable of use with any form of movable carrier designed to support the load receiving member on springs, the invention is particularly applicable to automobile trucks and. it is in connection with this particular use that the invention will be described in detail.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also contemplates novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, showing one method of connecting the resistances, meter and source of current in one physical embodiment of my invention, and

. igure 2 is a view in elevation of a physical embodiment of myl invention, showing the:1 various parts attac ed to an auto truck; an

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the resistance unit showin one method of mounting the resistance tu e and its wipers or fingers.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience of expression, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figure No. 1, there are indicated variable resistances R R and R comprising three legs of a so-called Wheatstone bridge, variable resistances X X", X", X and X comprising the fourth leg, a galvanometer G and its circuit connected at the points'a and b, a source of current B, having leads L and L, a float #22 having a pivoted arm #21 pivoted at #24 and ending in a wiper #20. There is also shown a scale #26 and a movable indicator #25 therewith connected to the Wiper for variable resistance B In Figure No. 2 there is shown the invention in a physical application to an auto truck having body supporting springs #27 and a spring supported body #4. Between the axle #5 and the said spring supported body #4 there are mounted two of the four variable resistance units X and X It is understood that the other two resistances of and w are similarly mounted between the body 4 and the other vehicle axle. The resistances w to m may be of any conventional form of rheostat in which the movable control element is actuated by relative movement between the axle and the vehicle body. For this purpose the rheostats are mounted in a casing 14 carried by the body 4 and thelr movable control arms 36 are connected to the axles.

In Figure 3 there is shown a transverse section of one of the variable resistance units X to X. A clamp comprised of parts #10 and #11 and ending'in a threaded portion #13 secures the unit to the truck wheel axle #5. This threaded portion #13 screws into an insulator #29 to which the hlgh resistance tube #16 is, firmly attached by means of screws #17. Wiping contact fingers #31 are secured to a brass or copper tube #14 by means of screws #17. he tube (#14 is connected to the spring supp orte body #4 by, means of clamps #6 and #7, which screw into lnsulatlng material #30, to which the said tube #14 is attached by means of screws #19.

In operation and with the wiper 25 set in one caseto balance the resistance R it may be assumed that the spring supported load is zero. As load is added to the body 4, one or more of the control members of the rheostats X to X will be actuated to thus decrease the resistance in the leg R This will of course affect the galvanometer circuit and cause the meter G to function.

If the meter at G is an indicating meter the vagiation will be indicated in units of weight, if the meter records a continuous record of the weight will be given.

It should now be noted that while the weight of the transient load is changingthe total weight of propelling fuel is also changing, or the weight of the transient load may remain constant and the weight of the said fuel decrease as it is consumed. Hence to obtain the proper-indication, record or integration of the actual load, correction must be made for the varying fuel or other changing or incidental load. This is done by the variation of resistance X also in the leg R and in series electrically with X X X and X.

This correction is entirely automatic and accurate as the variation of X affects the flow of currentfrom b to a exactly as the resistances in the leg R.

The wei ht of the transient load may also be read 0% a scale exactly the same as is done oil of the common weighing scales.

It is evident that if the variation of the load'afiects R then It will have to be varied the same amount in order to again balance the bridge and bring the current flowin from b to a to a zero value. Now, 1f the meter at G is a galvanometer of the slow moving type and normally indicates 0 then the wiper #25 of the variable onl by this method.

my degree of sensitiveness may be obtained b var in the ratio of y y g R-2 R-3 for. condition of balance or zero current in It is also evident that the variation of the voltage of the source B will not have any effect on the meter G as the division of current remains a constant for any given condition of the resistance in the four legs. This condition will allow use of current from the storage battery as commonly found on motor trucks and it also allows the battery to be charged by the generator without any effect "on the electric meters.

Further, the resistance X may be use to correct for any varyin weight on the carrier outside of the so-ca led regular load, such for example, as cooling water, coal, oil, etc.

If one or more of the X resistances are employed they may be positioned so as to correct for the welght of the driver, additional weight of top to body, or perhaps mud, etc. 1

Having thus described my invention I claim 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a relatively stationary member and a relatively movable member, of an electric circuit including a Wheatstone bridge having an electric meter in the galvanometer circuit thereof, means for varying the resistance in one leg of said Wheatstone bridge, said means including a two part mechanical means for affecting electrical resistance with one of the arts mounted on the stationary member an the other part mounted on the relativelymow able member whereby a relative movement between said stationary and said movable member will afiect the resistance in said leg and thus afi'ect the reading of the electric meter and means associated with said resistance varying means compensating for movement aflecting factors acting on said movable member.

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a spring supported vehicle adapted to be lowered against the action of the springs by loads imposed thereon, of a plurality of electro-mechanical resistance changing devices having operative connection with the body of the vehicle for operation upon depression of the body incidental to both transient and incidental weights placed on the body, electrically actuated mechanism operatively connected to said devices to be actuated by a movement of the body into an operative position by said weights and means including one of said devices actuated by variations in said incidental weight and operatively connected to said mechanism to compensate for the effect on said mechanisms produced by variation in said incidental weight.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a spring supported vehicle having an axle, of a plurality ofelectro-mechanical resistance changing devices having operative connection with the body and with the axle of the vehicle for operation upon depression of the body incidental to weight placed thereon, electrically actuated mechanisms operatively connected to said devices to be actuated by a movement of the body into an operative position, and constantly acting means operatively connected to said mechanism to compensate for the effect produced thereon by the depression of the body caused by a part of the weight.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a y-ieldably supported bod provided with a tank for containing liqui a float in said tank, an electric circuit ineluding a Wheatstone bridge, a plurality of electro-mechanical resistance changing devices operativel connected to one leg of said Wheatstone bridge to affect the electrical condition of the same, certain of said devices being operatively connected to said body for operation upon depression of the latter incident to weight placed on the body and another of said devices being operatively connected to said float whereby the electrical condition of said circuit is afl'ected by the change in level of the liquid in the tank and indicating mechanism operable by an electrical condition of said circuit.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a yieldably supported body,

provided with an element for'recelving an incidental weight, electrically actuated mechanisms operativelyactuated by the depression of said body by the weight thereon for indicating a function of sai weight, manually actuated means for controlling said -mechanisms and means actuated by said weight receiving element 'and operatively connected with said mechanism to compensate for the weight imposed on the body through said element.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 5th day of October, A. D. 1918.

HOWARD J. MURRAY. 

